Bose has added another Bluetooth speaker to its SoundLink lineup of portables. The SoundLink Home Speaker is a sleek and slender unit that doubles as a speakerphone and can be stereo-paired with a second SoundLink Home for more immersive sound. It can be ordered starting October 1, in Light Silver or Cool Gray, for $219. If you live in China, there’s also a “Warm Wood” option. For now, the speaker is being sold exclusively through Bose’s website.
Unlike Bose’s other SoundLink speakers, the SoundLink Home is intended as an app-free experience — just power up the speaker and pair it with your favorite smartphone. Actually, with Bluetooth Multipoint, you can pair it to two phones simultaneously — but you’ll have to referee the fights between the phone owners.
However, the lack of app compatibility means this is the only Bose SoundLink speaker that can’t be wirelessly connected to another Bose product (like its new Bose Smart Soundbar) via SimpleSync, or to multiple Bluetooth speakers via party mode.
The speaker is very compact at only 8.5 inches wide, 4.4 inches tall, and 2.3 inches thick. At just a hair under 2 pounds, it should also prove easy to move around. It’s framed out in brushed anodized aluminum, with a set of physical control buttons on the top surface for power, volume, and Bluetooth pairing, plus a multifunction button playback.
A fabric mesh grille covers the front and back. Bose says that under that fabric lies a full-range transducer with dual passive radiators that produce “deep bass that fills any room.”
You charge the speaker via the side USB-C port. A four-hour charge will fill the internal battery, after which Bose says you’ll get about nine hours of playtime. However, that’s assuming you keep the volume set at 50% or less. Rock out at full volume and you’ll get far less time — just 2.5 hours according to the official specifications.
That USB-C port can also be used to connect wired digital sources like a computer or USB-C equipped phone. Strangely, there’s no analog input, something Bose includes on most of its other SoundLink speakers, including the recently added SoundLink Max. A built-in mic lets you use the speaker for calls, or to access your phone’s voice assistant.
As the name implies, Bose appears to see the SoundLink Home as a speaker you’ll move from one room in your home to another, but not outdoors. It has no official protection from water or dust, and a Bose spokesperson cautioned Digital Trends that it should probably not be used in a bathroom or anywhere else where high humidity is likely to be a regular thing.
